Endodontist vs. General Dentist – What’s the Difference

Introduction

When you are looking for the right dental expert, it’s very important to know the difference between a general dentist and endodontist. Endodontists and general dentists are both professionals who treat dental issues. An endodontist is specialized in root canal treatment, while general dentists mostly deal with capping and crowning of teeth.

Who is an Endodontist

For root canal treatment, you can either go to a dentist or a root canal specialist also called Endodontist. They are specialized in problems with pulp or roots. Although all the dentists are given basic training of endodontic procedures but usually for serious cases, they refer to the specialist for expert opinion and treatment.

Endodontist vs. General Dentist

Your health should always be the first priority, and when it comes to dental issues, there’s nothing more important than its ultimate success. Regular check-ups are very important to keep your teeth and gum health, and a general dentist is the best source for that routine visit, but when it comes to complex issues, it is recommended to see an expert.

All the dentists know how to diagnose and treat root canals, but they are experienced in other procedures. For emergency purposes, you can always go to a general dentist, but when you have an Endodontist in your town, then there’s no one better in root canal treatments.

A general dentist might do 12-14 root canals a month, while an Endodontist does 27 root canals per week. This shows how much more experienced an Endodontist is than a dentist.

What does a General Dentist do?

You might be wondering what a general dentist do?

A general dentist is educated to solve all the basic issues regarding your teeth and gum; he provides primary care for people of all ages. They have proper arrangements for the hygiene of the patient’s teeth. They even fill cavities and make perfect crowns and bridges. Even if you have root canal issues or any other braces problem, you will have to visit a general dentist first; he would tell you whether you should go to an endodontist, orthodontist or periodontist.

They even give precautionary measures and preventions to take care of your teeth; they make sure to give proper education to their patients.

What does an Endodontist do?

As mentioned above, an Endodontist deals with the nerves of the teeth and performs root canals. They are also called the root canal specialist. Endodontists have to take an additional two years of education than a dentist to complete their specialization. They not only perform root canals but also do surgeries to fix a tooth that didn’t fully heal after a root canal. They can not only extract the tips of roots but also save teeth from decaying that have been cracked or damaged by some injury.

Treatments that Endodontist performs:

- Root canal treatment
- Fix damaged or injured teeth
- Treat discoloration that sometimes happens after root canals
- Try to preserve and save patients teeth for a longer period
- Root canal retreatment is done after a teeth get an infection after root canal procedure

Conclusion

The difference between the two is mentioned above to clear who you should visit for your dental issues. Your dentist will refer to Endodontists for further treatment if he thinks you have some serious root canal issues. It is actually teamwork for successful treatment. They both work together to save your teeth and keep them in good condition. A dentist can solve most of your problems, but it is always safe to have a specialist with extensive experience.